Central West NSW is where Kiaarn Dickens' passion for horse racing was ignited, and the Sky Racing tipster and presenter still has close ties with Gilgandra, where she was born and raised.
Subscribe now for unlimited access to all our agricultural news
across the nation
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Her parents have lived there all their lives and still reside there.
"My dad was a punter and, for a hobby, owned some shares in a few horses he raced with my late uncle Geoff Hayes in Dubbo," Kiaarn said.
"The horses would spell out at our property in Gilgandra, and I just became obsessed with everything about Thoroughbreds as a breed and going to the races with Dad.
"The sport means so much to me."
Kiaarn's journey to Sky Racing is littered with fascinating stories featuring well-known industry names (both four and two-legged) for rusted-on racing enthusiasts.
She started as an apprentice jockey but struggled to meet the minimum weight requirements, eventually hanging up her boots to focus on riding trackwork following an injury.
"I moved to Brisbane and joined forces with trainer Tony Gollan, for whom I was a travelling foreman," Kiaarn said.
"It was a great gig; I got to ride some nice horses, I learnt so much and spending so much time with all the good horses like Spirit of Boom made you want to strive for your best so they'd turn up to the races in the best condition they could possibly be in."
When Kiaarn and her husband started a family, she stopped riding and worked as an industry educator for Racing Queensland.
"I worked closely with Shane Scriven, helping with the apprentice jockeys and all the aspiring ones coming through the ranks until I progressed into my current role," she said.
The racing industry has provided Kiaarn with memories that will last a lifetime, but her association with Spirit Of Boom are particularly special.
Spirit Of Boom notched up an incredible racing record, which included 52 starts, with nine wins, 14 second paces, six third places, and $2.43 million in prizemoney.
The stallion finished his career with two group one wins, one group two wins and two listed wins in three racing jurisdictions.
He placed an outstanding 17 times at group or listed level, competing against the likes of Buffering, Temple Of Boom (his half-brother), Lankan Rupee, Snitzerland, and Platelet.
The night he won his first group one race, the William Reid-G1 at Moonee Valley, Victoria, was memorable for Kiaarn.
"I had poured my heart and soul into that horse, making sure he was 100 per cent spot on for a race that looked ideal for him," she said.
"As a stallion prospect, it was crucial he had a group one on his resume; it went to a photo finish and went our way.
"It was a great feeling and one I'll never forget."
Spirit Of Boom has notched up more impressive career stats as a sire, producing 393 individual winners, achieving a strike rate of 83 per cent winners to runners, and progeny with more than $50 million in earnings.
"He was a top-level racehorse and now kicking plenty of goals as a stallion at Eureka Stud with the McAlpines," Kiaarn said.
"He was a great horse to ride trackwork and on the ground, and I would spend basically all day every day with him when we were interstate.
"The bond that forms is something else. I love that horse and am always proud of what he's now delivering through his progeny."
Based in South East Queensland, Kiaarn has earned herself a reputation as a talented form analyst, tipping eight out of nine winners at Warwick, Queensland, last year.
"The one race I didn't tip the winner was beaten a nose," she said.
"So it was a near-perfect day and a goal of mine moving forward is to tip the full card."
Getting to talk about a sport she is so immersed in for a living is a dream come true for Kiaarn.
"I love every aspect of it; we'd need a novel if I touched on everything I like about it," she said.
"I'm very lucky to be in the role, but I guess an aspect I love apart from talking to industry participants and seeing their journeys with horses would be looking at my form.
"When I first print it out, I look at it like a puzzle, and by the time I finish the form, which takes me around a full working day and then some, it's like I've tried to put the puzzle together and hopefully jag some winners for punters.
"Being around horses is a bonus, and not having to wake up at 3am to see them too!"
Kiaarn loves attending country race meetings and has hosted the ever-popular Birdville Races in Queensland's outback several times.
"It's always a nice change of pace and good to go out and see the industry participants you don't always see in the city, and I love hearing the clubs's goals and ambitions to grow," she said.
While she doesn't have a favoured country-based horse, in particular, Kiaarn tends to follow
horses that kick off in the bush and then have the talent to progress to the metropolitan level.
"They're always satisfying to follow," she said.
"I love doing 'pick of the yard' for our carnival meetings and selecting a horse I know well that, for instance, won a maiden out at Dalby and is now tackling some of the country's best horses on those big days."
Over the years, Kiaarn has witnessed many changes in the country racing scene, from infrastructure upgrades to prizemoney increases.
"It's all a step in the right direction," she said.
"Peter Nestor, a trainer from Dubbo who advocated for country racing, would always say, 'We might be the bottom of the tree, but the top won't stand without us', and he is spot on.
"Country racing will forever hold a big chunk of my heart.
"The number of females coming through the ranks who usually do their time in the country as a stepping stone is phenomenal."
